I got to eat yesterday! In addition to the yogurt and blueberries I had in the morning to break my Monday fast, I had a salad with grilled chicken for dinner—and I still lost about three pounds. I’m not hungry this morning, so I think I’ll fast again today.

I should mention that I have been getting some exercise since starting this diet. This isn’t new; I’ve tried to get regular exercise for years now because it helps tremendously with my mood and general outlook on life. In addition to depression and anxiety, I’ve struggled mightily with OCD since I was a kid. The exercise helps keep all of these things in check.

My exercise regimen is relatively tame—I’m not a gym rat. Gone are the days when I could spend an hour at the gym sweating (profusely) through cardio and weights. Since entering middle age, I’ve had to adapt to the reality that my body is sort of falling apart. I have arthritis in my shoulders, which limits what I can do with weights, and my knees are shot, so running (even on a treadmill) is no longer an option.

My time at the gym these days is probably around 30 minutes per day, including 12 minutes on the elliptical (better for my knees but still hard on my feet and ankles) and the remaining time lifting (relatively light) weights. Overexertion just doesn’t work for me anymore. Even with only moderate exercise four times per week, I still experience a significant amount of pain and stiffness.

I don’t like going to the gym; I have to pretty much drag myself there. But I have to do it, primarily to maintain my mental health but also to try to keep my body at least somewhat fit. Because of issues with my feet (I have extremely flat feet and recently suffered a broken toe), I fell into the habit of skipping the gym, but I’m back in the swing of things because returning to the gym was simply necessary.

Surprisingly, it isn’t hard to exercise when you’re fasting. I expected to be jittery before I started exercising on fasting days, but that hasn’t been the case. And the exercise helps accelerate the weight loss. Diet, of course, is the primary factor that determines what I weigh (my current weight is due to poor eating habits rather than genetics), but the exercise does help. I’ll do my best to keep it up throughout my weight-loss journey.